James h



J. H. S. KERR.

RUBBER MAT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I4, I92I.

1,426,296. Pa ented Aug- 15, 1922.

"HIH IIII IMIII'UHWII III"- """HHHHII INVENTEIR UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JAMES H. S. KERR, TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

RUBBER MAT.

T 0 all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that 1, J ES H. S. KERR, of the city of Toronto, in thecounty of York, Province of Ontario, Canada, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRubber Mats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly torubber mats used on the footboards of auto mobiles of the Ford type, which mats have to be providedwith openings for the brake lever and foot operated pedals of theautomobile. These mats are usuallyconstructed with one large opening forthe three foot pedals and a separateopening for the brake lever, thoughinsome cases separate openings are provided for each of the foot pedals.These separate openings for the foot pedals have, however, always beenof large size so that the edge of the openings would not contact withthe pedals. These large openings have a number of disadvantages, amongthem that of allowing in the winter time cold air from the outside toenter the front part of the automobile, and in the summer time allowingthe heat from the engine to enter.

'My main object therefore is to so construct the mat that it willmaintain a tight fit around the pedals as they move, leavingsubstantially no opening for the entrance of cold or hot air as the casemay be.

As these mats are particularly subject to wear where the drivers heelsrest, a further object is to provide the mats with extra wearingqualities at this point.

I attain my objects by constructing thev mat substantially ashereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich Fig. 1 is a plan view of a mat constructed in accordance with myinvention;

Fig. 2 a section, partly broken away, on the line a-a', in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 a section, partly broken away, on the line 5-6, in Fig. 1.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding partsin the different figures.

1 is a mat suitably shaped to fit the automobile in which it is to beused, which mat is provided with a plurality of slots 52 through whichthe brake lever and foot pedals may operate. These mats have usuallybeen made of a low grade of rubber,

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 15, 1922,

1921. Serial No. 470,819.

and hence theopenings, 2 have had to be made of large size (usuallyabout is" wide), as otherwisethe Inat would become quickly worn with theconstant rubbing of the pedals. It is extremely desirable, however, asstated in the preamble of the specification. that the mat fit tightlyaround the pedals, and while this could be accomplished by making theentire mat of a high grade of rubber, to do this would mean a verymarked increase in the cost of the mat.

overcome the difficulty therefore by making the body of the mat of theusual low grade rubber, the mat having'the slots 2 therein of about thesize'of the slot in the mats at present onthe market. On' the back ofthe mat over each opening is secured a. comparatively narrow piece 3 ofvery pliable high grade rubber. While the mat proper may be of the samethickness throughout, it will usually be of reduced thicknessadjacentthe slots 2, so that when the pieces 3 are added to the back ofthe mat, the thickness of the mat will not be increased and the backsurface of the mat will be perfectly flat. While the pieces 3 may be ofthe same thickness as the mat proper inside the openings 2, I prefer tohave the sameof lesser thickness, as this renders the pieces 3 morepliable. i

The pieces 3 will be slit to provide openings 4 for the passage of thepedals, but preferably none of the material will be removed.

As automobiles of the Ford type are usually provided with three footpedals placed closely together, if desired one large opening may beformed in the mat and a single piece 3 of high grade rubber large enoughto fill the entire opening inserted. In this case the piece 3 would beprovided with a separate slit for each pedal.

As the pieces 3 are made of very high grade pliable rubber, and none ofthe material removed when the slots are made, the edges will always meetexcept as they are held apart by the stems of the pedals. and willquickly come together as the pedals are moved forward and backward, sothat at no time is there an opening of any size around the pedals.

As these mats are particularly liable to wear where the drivers feetrest, it is desirable to strengthen the met at this point. I thereforeplace on the upper surface of the mat at this point a layer 5 of highlyfiberized tough rubber having great wearing qualities. I prefer,however, to have the thickness of low grade rubber at this point of lessthickness than the rest of. the mat, so that when the layer of highlyfiberized rubber is added, the mat Will be of equal thickness at allpoints.

l Vhile the pieces 3 of high grade rubber and the layer 5 of highlyfiberized rubber may be added after the mat is completed, they willpreferably be incorporated in the mat during manufacture and the matvulcanized as a whole, so that in effect the mat will be of a singlepiece of rubber.

A mat constructed as described will be found to attain the objects of myinvention as set out in the preamble of this specification, will besimple to manufacture, and will cost but little more than a matconstructed entirely of low grade rubber, while its cost will beconsiderably less than a mat constructed entirely of high grade rubberand will last practically as long.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A mat, having an opening therein,constructed of low grade rubber, said opening being closed with aportion of high grade rubber having a slit therein, said portion of highgrade rubber being secured to the mat to form an integral structure.

2. A mat, having an opening therein, constructed of low grade rubber,the mat adja cent the opening being of reduced thickness, a patch ofhigh grade rubber being secured to the portion of reduced thickness toclose said opening, said patch having a slit therein, said patch of highgrade rubber being secured to the mat to form an integral structure.

3. A mat, having a slot therein, constructed of low grade rubber, saidslot being closed with a portion of high grade rubber having anelongated slit therein, said portion of high grade rubber being securedto the mat to form an integral structure. I

4. A mat constructed. in the main of low grade rubber having a layer ofhighly fiberized rubber secured to part of its upper surface to form anintegral structure.

5. A mat constructed as set forth in claim in which the thickness of lowgrade rubber is reduced where the layer of highly fiberized rubber issecured to the upper surface.

6. A mat constructed in the main of low grade rubber and having anopening therein closed with a patch of high grade rubber, said patchhaving a slit therein, the mat also having a layer of highly fiberizedrubber secured to a portion of its upper surface, said patch of highgrade rubber and layer of highly fiberized rubber being secured to themat to form an integral structure.

7. A flexible mat having an opening therein, said opening being closedwith a rela- I tively softer and more flexible material integrallyunited with the mat around said opening and having a slit therein.

8. An integral flexible mat having a slit therein, the portion of themat surrounding the slit being of lesser thickness than the main portionof the mat.

9. An integral flexible mat having a slit therein, the portion of themat surrounding the slit being more flexible than the main portion ofthe mat.

Signed at Toronto this tenth day of May JAMES H. S. KERR.

